Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
  • C02F1/66—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by neutralisation; pH adjustment
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
  • A61L2/00—Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor
  • A61L2/16—Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor using chemical substances
  • A61L2/18—Liquid substances or solutions comprising solids or dissolved gases
  • A61L2/186—Peroxide solutions
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62D—CHEMICAL MEANS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES OR FOR COMBATING OR PROTECTING AGAINST HARMFUL CHEMICAL AGENTS; CHEMICAL MATERIALS FOR USE IN BREATHING APPARATUS
  • A62D3/00—Processes for making harmful chemical substances harmless or less harmful, by effecting a chemical change in the substances
  • A62D3/30—Processes for making harmful chemical substances harmless or less harmful, by effecting a chemical change in the substances by reacting with chemical agents
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
  • C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
  • C11D3/00—Other compounding ingredients of detergent compositions covered in group C11D1/00
  • C11D3/48—Medical, disinfecting agents, disinfecting, antibacterial, germicidal or antimicrobial compositions
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B90/00—Instruments, implements or accessories specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis and not covered by any of the groups A61B1/00 - A61B50/00, e.g. for luxation treatment or for protecting wound edges
  • A61B90/70—Cleaning devices specially adapted for surgical instruments
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
  • A61L2202/00—Aspects relating to methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects
  • A61L2202/10—Apparatus features
  • A61L2202/12—Apparatus for isolating biocidal substances from the environment
  • A61L2202/122—Chambers for sterilisation
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
  • A61L2202/00—Aspects relating to methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects
  • A61L2202/10—Apparatus features
  • A61L2202/14—Means for controlling sterilisation processes, data processing, presentation and storage means, e.g. sensors, controllers, programs
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
  • A61L2202/00—Aspects relating to methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects
  • A61L2202/20—Targets to be treated
  • A61L2202/24—Medical instruments, e.g. endoscopes, catheters, sharps
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62D—CHEMICAL MEANS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES OR FOR COMBATING OR PROTECTING AGAINST HARMFUL CHEMICAL AGENTS; CHEMICAL MATERIALS FOR USE IN BREATHING APPARATUS
  • A62D2203/00—Aspects of processes for making harmful chemical substances harmless, or less harmful, by effecting chemical change in the substances
  • A62D2203/10—Apparatus specially adapted for treating harmful chemical agents; Details thereof
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
  • C02F1/008—Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F2103/00—Nature of the water, waste water, sewage or sludge to be treated
  • C02F2103/003—Wastewater from hospitals, laboratories and the like, heavily contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F2303/00—Specific treatment goals
  • C02F2303/18—Removal of treatment agents after treatment
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
  • C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
  • C11D2111/00—Cleaning compositions characterised by the objects to be cleaned; Cleaning compositions characterised by non-standard cleaning or washing processes
  • C11D2111/40—Specific cleaning or washing processes
  • C11D2111/44—Multi-step processes

Definitions

• the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for in-basin neutralization of a treatment solution.
• the medical field employs various devices for medical procedures.
• One such device is an endoscope that examines the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body.
• a critical aspect of all medical procedures and devices is the prevention of cross-contamination and the spread of disease.
• treatment solutions such as, for example, cleaning solutions, disinfectant solutions, and/or sterilant solutions are used on medical devices and facility surfaces. These solutions, by their nature, include relatively harsh constituents in order to effectively clean, disinfect, and/or sterilize devices and/or surfaces. Disposing of the treatment solution after use can be inconvenient for an operator and/or expose the operator to the treatment solution.
• the present disclosure provides a method for in-basin neutralization in a chamber comprising a basin in fluid communication with a reservoir. More specifically, neutralizer is added to the basin in excess of an amount of neutralizer suitable to neutralize a treatment solution in the reservoir. A first portion of the treatment solution is added to the basin. The neutralizer is contacted with the first portion of the treatment solution to form a secondary solution and the first portion of the treatment solution is neutralized with the neutralizer. A first portion of the secondary solution is removed from the basin and a second portion of the secondary solution remains in the basin. A second portion of the treatment solution is added to the basin. The second portion of the treatment solution is contacted with the second portion of the secondary solution to form a tertiary solution and the second portion of the treatment solution is neutralized with neutralizer in the second portion of the secondary solution.
• the present disclosure provides a method for in-basin neutralization in a chamber comprising a basin in fluid communication with a reservoir. More specifically, neutralizer is added to the basin in excess of an amount of neutralizer suitable to neutralize a disinfectant solution in the reservoir.
• the basin has a first solution capacity and the reservoir has a second solution capacity larger than the first solution capacity.
• a first portion of the disinfectant solution is added to the basin.
• the neutralizer is contacted with the first portion of the disinfectant solution to form a secondary solution and the first portion of the disinfectant solution is neutralized with the neutralizer.
• a first portion of the secondary solution is removed from the basin and a second portion of the secondary solution remains in the basin.
• the second portion of the secondary solution comprises an amount of neutralizer suitable to neutralize a second portion of the disinfectant solution.
• the second portion of the disinfectant solution is added to the basin.
• the second portion of the disinfectant solution is contacted with the second portion of the secondary solution to form a tertiary solution and the second portion of the disinfectant solution is neutralized with neutralizer in the second portion of the secondary solution.
• a system for in-basin neutralization.
• the system comprises a reservoir and a basin in fluid communication with the reservoir.
• the reservoir comprises a disinfectant solution.
• the basin is suitable to receive disinfectant solution from the reservoir.
• the basin has a first solution capacity and the reservoir has a second solution capacity larger than the first solution capacity.
• the basin comprises a neutralizing solution suitable to neutralize the disinfectant solution in the reservoir.
• a mole ratio of active group in the neutralizer to active group in the disinfectant solution is greater than 1.3: 1.
• FIG. l is a depiction of a system for in-basin neutralization of a treatment solution according to the present disclosure
• FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a system for in-basin neutralization of a treatment solution according to the present disclosure.
• FIG. 3 A is a schematic front view of a system for in-basin neutralization in a first stage of neutralization according to the present disclosure
• FIG. 3B is a schematic front view of the system for in-basin neutralization of FIG. 3 A in a second stage of neutralization according to the present disclosure
• FIG. 3C is a schematic front view of the system for in-basin neutralization of FIG. 3A in a third stage of neutralization according to the present disclosure
• FIG. 3D is a schematic front view of the system for in-basin neutralization of FIG. 3 A in a fourth stage of neutralization according to the present disclosure
• FIG. 3E is a schematic front view of the system for in-basin neutralization of FIG. 3 A in a fifth stage of neutralization according to the present disclosure
• FIG. 3F is a schematic front view of the system for in-basin neutralization of FIG. 3 A in a sixth stage of neutralization according to the present disclosure
• FIG. 3G is a schematic front view of the system for in-basin neutralization of FIG. 3A in a seventh stage of neutralization according to the present disclosure.
• FIG. 3H is a schematic front view of the system for in-basin neutralization of FIG. 3 A in an eighth stage of neutralization according to the present disclosure.
• references herein to“various examples,”“some examples,”“one example,”“an example”, similar references to“aspects,” or the like means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least one example.
• any numerical range recited herein includes all sub-ranges subsumed within the recited range.
• a range of“1 to 10” includes all sub-ranges between (and including) the recited minimum value of 1 and the recited maximum value of 10, that is, having a minimum value equal to or greater than 1 and a maximum value equal to or less than 10.
• Any maximum numerical limitation recited in this specification is intended to include all lower numerical limitations subsumed therein and any minimum numerical limitation recited in this specification is intended to include all higher numerical limitations subsumed therein. Accordingly,
• the grammatical articles“a”,“an”, and“the”, as used herein, are intended to include“at least one” or“one or more”, unless otherwise indicated, even if“at least one” or“one or more” is expressly used in certain instances.
• the articles are used herein to refer to one or more than one (i.e., to“at least one”) of the grammatical objects of the article.
• to“at least one” the use of a singular noun includes the plural, and the use of a plural noun includes the singular, unless the context of the usage requires otherwise.
• active group is meant to mean the chemical that is participating in the neutralization reaction.
• constituent“substantially free” is meant to mean at least 90% free of that constituent, and in some examples at least 95%, 96%, 97%, and 98% free, in other examples at least 99% free, in other examples at least 99.9% free, in other examples at least 99.99% free, in some examples at least 99.999% free, and in other examples at least 99.9999% free of that constituent.
• a treatment solution process may be at least one of a cleaning solution, a disinfectant solution, and a sterilant solution.
• a treatment process may be at least one of a cleaning process, a disinfection process, and a sterilization process.
• a cleaning process may be a process which reduces and/or eliminates a dirt, a dust, a particle, and the like utilizing a cleaning solution.
• a disinfection process may be a type of a cleaning process which reduces and/or eliminates bacteria and/or other forms of living organisms utilizing a disinfectant solution.
• a sterilization process may be a type of disinfection process that reduces and/or eliminates bacteria and/or other forms of living organisms that results in a sterilized object being substantially free from bacteria and/or other forms of living organisms utilizing a sterilant.
• a larger quantity of treatment solution can be kept in a reservoir than required for a treatment process cycle to account for any loses of treatment solution during the treatment process cycle.
• disposing of the treatment solution from multi-use treatment systems can require removing all the treatment solution from the multi-use treatment system and placing the treatment solution in a secondary container outside of the multi-use treatment systems.
• the treatment solution can be neutralized in the secondary container by adding neutralizer to the secondary container. Thereafter, the neutralized solution can be disposed of by, for example, emptying the neutralized solution in a waste drain. This process can be time consuming and expose an operator of the multi-use treatment system to the relatively harsh effects of the treatment solution.
• a method and a system are provided for in-basin neutralization that can limit operator exposure to the treatment solution, decrease the time spent neutralizing treatment solution, and/or create an automated procedure for
• neutralizer may be added to the basin in excess of an amount of neutralizer suitable to neutralize a treatment solution in a reservoir in fluid communication with the basin.
• a first portion of the treatment solution may be added to the basin.
• the neutralizer may be contacted with the first portion of the treatment solution to form a secondary solution in the basin and the first portion of the treatment solution may be neutralized with the neutralizer.
• a first portion of the secondary solution may be removed from the basin wherein a second portion of the secondary solution remains in the basin.
• a second portion of the treatment solution may be added to the basin.
• FIGs. 1 and 2 illustrate a system 100 for in-basin neutralization of a treatment solution according to the present disclosure.
• the system 100 can comprise a chamber 102 including a basin 104 in fluid communication with a reservoir 106.
• the chamber 102 may be suitable to receive a medical device (not shown), and can be suitable to perform a treatment process on the medical device.
• the chamber 102 can comprise at least one of a heating element, a pump, a wash arm, a spray nozzle, a tube, and other devices known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
• the chamber 102 can be at least one of a cleaning chamber, a disinfection chamber, and a sterilization chamber.
• the medical device can comprise an endoscope.
• the system 100 can comprise an endoscope re-processor.
• the reservoir 106 can be suitable to receive a treatment solution and can store the treatment solution until the treatment solution can be output into the basin 104.
• the basin 104 can be in fluid communication with the reservoir 106 via a treatment line 108.
• the treatment line 108 can be suitable to receive the treatment solution from the reservoir 106 and transport the treatment solution to the basin 104.
• the treatment line 108 can include at least one of a tube, a valve, and a pump.
• the treatment line 108 can control the amount of treatment solution provided to the basin 104.
• the treatment solution can be metered into the basin 104 by the treatment line 108 until a select amount of treatment solution has been provided to the basin 104.
• the basin 104 can be suitable to receive treatment solution from the reservoir 106 via the treatment line 108.
• the treatment solution can comprise at least one of a cleaning solution, a disinfectant solution, and a sterilant solution.
• the treatment solution comprises a disinfectant solution including a disinfectant.
• the disinfectant can comprise at least one of an alcohol, an aldehyde, a quaternary ammonium compound, an oxidizer, and an antimicrobial metal solution.
• the disinfectant can comprise ortho-phthalaldehyde (OP A).
• the disinfectant solution can comprises AERO-OPATM available from Advanced Sterilization Products, A Division of Ethicon, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company located in Irvine, CA.
• the basin 104 can have a basin solution capacity and the reservoir 106 can have a reservoir solution capacity.
• the reservoir solution capacity can be larger than the basin solution capacity.
• the reservoir solution capacity can be at least 10% larger than the basin solution capacity such as, for example, at least 20% larger than the basin solution capacity, at least 30% larger than the basin solution capacity, at least 50% larger than the basin solution capacity, or at least 100% larger than the basin solution capacity.
• the reservoir solution capacity may be 10% to 200% larger than the basin solution capacity such as, for example, 10% to 100% larger and in other aspects is 20% to 100% larger than the basin solution capacity.
• the reservoir has a solution capacity from 1 liter (L) to 50 L such as, for example, 2 L to 30 L, 10 L to 15 L, or 12 L.
• the treatment solution may require special handling and/or require neutralization.
• a waste may require special handling and/or require neutralization prior to disposal if“it has an acute aquatic 96-hour LC50 less than 500 milligrams per liter when measured in soft water (total hardness 40 to 48 milligrams per liter of calcium carbonate) with fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) or golden shiners (Notemigonus crysoleucas) according to procedures described in Part 800 of the“Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (l6th Edition),” American Public Health Association, 1985 and“Static Acute Bioassay Procedures for Hazardous Waste Samples,” California Department of Fish and Game,
• the addition of the neutralizer to the basin 104 can be automated such as, for example, by pumping the neutralizer into the basin 104, or by the manual addition of neutralizer to the basin 104.
• the neutralizer can be a solution of neutralizer or solid concentrated neutralizer.
• the neutralizer can comprise at least one of an amino acid, ammonia, sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite, and sodium bisulfite.
• the amino acid can include at least one of alanine, proline, amino-caproic acid, phenylalanine, tryptophan, methionine, glycine, serine, cycteine, tyrosine, lysine, arginine, glutamine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and histidine.
• the amino acid can comprise glycine.
• the neutralizer can comprise a 6% glycine by weight solution.
• the neutralizer can comprise KemSafeTM Solution Neutralizer Catalog # 9074 available from Kem Medical Products Corp., located in Farmingdale, NY.
• the neutralizer can be added to the basin 104 in excess of an amount of neutralizer suitable to neutralize the treatment solution in the reservoir 106.
• the amount of neutralizer suitable to neutralize the treatment solution in the reservoir 106 can be a mole ratio of active group in the neutralizer to active group in the treatment solution of at least 1.
• the neutralizer can be added to the basin 104 in a mole ratio of active group in the neutralizer to active group in the treatment solution of greater than 1.3: 1 such as, for example, greater than 1.5:1, greater than 2 : 1 , or greater than 3: 1.
• the neutralizer can be added to the basin in a mole ratio of active group in the neutralizer to active group in the treatment solution in a range of 1.1 : 1 to 10: 1 such as, for example, 1.2: 1 to 5: 1, 1.3: 1 to 3 :1, or 1.3: 1 to 1.5:1.
• Neutralization of the treatment solution can include forming an adduct between the treatment solution and the neutralizer.
• the treatment solution comprises an aldehyde (e.g OPA) and the neutralizer comprises an amino acid (e.g., glycine)
• the reaction of the neutralizer with the treatment solution can proceed as shown in Scheme 1.
• an amine group of the amino acid can react with the aldehyde to form an adduct.
• the amine group can deactivate the aldehyde by forming the adduct which is more suitable for handling and/or disposal than the aldehyde alone.
• the adduct is an N-substituted adduct.
• the formed adduct can be black in color which can indicate the solution has been neutralized.
• Neutralization of the treatment solution can occur in at least two phases. For example, in a first phase, excess neutralizer can be added to the basin 104 and a first portion of the treatment solution can be added to the basin 104 from the reservoir 106 in the amounts and ratios provided herein.
• the first portion of the treatment solution can be less than the reservoir solution capacity.
• the first portion of the treatment solution is from 5% to 95% of the reservoir solution capacity such as, for example, 10% to 90% or 65% to 80%.
• a second portion of the treatment solution can remain in the reservoir 106 after removal of the first portion of treatment solution from the reservoir 106.
• the neutralizer can be contacted with the first portion of the treatment solution in the basin 104 to form a secondary solution and the first portion of the treatment solution can be neutralized by the neutralizer.
• the contacting may include at least one of heating, agitating, and circulating.
• the secondary solution can comprise formed adduct and neutralizer suitable to neutralize the second portion of the treatment solution in the reservoir 106.
• the secondary solution can comprise at least one of treatment solution and water.
• the secondary solution can be substantially free of treatment solution.
• the neutralizer is only added during the first phase.
• a first portion of the secondary solution can be removed from the basin 104 via a drain line 110.
• the drain line 110 can be suitable to receive the secondary solution from the basin 104 and can transport the secondary solution out of the basin 104.
• a second portion of the secondary solution can remain in the basin 104 after the removal of the first portion of the secondary solution.
• the amount of the first portion of the secondary solution removed can be controlled so that the second portion of the secondary solution contains an amount of active neutralizer suitable to neutralize the remaining treatment solution in the reservoir.
• the second portion of the secondary solution is from 5% to 95% of the basin solution capacity such as, for example, 10% to 90% or 5% to 40%.
• the second portion of the treatment solution can be added to the basin 104 from the reservoir 106 and can be added to the second portion of the secondary solution in the basin 104.
• the active neutralizer remaining in the secondary solution can be contacted with the second portion of the treatment solution in the basin to form a tertiary solution and the second portion of the treatment solution can be neutralized by the neutralizer.
• the contacting may include at least one of heating, agitating, and circulating.
• the amount of tertiary solution can be equal to or less than the basin solution capacity.
• the tertiary solution can comprise formed adduct.
• the tertiary solution can comprise at least one of neutralizer, treatment solution, and water.
• the tertiary solution is substantially free of treatment solution.
• no additional neutralizer is added during the second phase.
• the number of phases to neutralize the treatment solution should not be considered limiting.
• the treatment solution in the reservoir can be neutralized in the basin 104 in two or more phases, such as at least three phases.
• the second portion of the treatment solution is all of the remaining treatment solution in the reservoir 106 after removal of the first portion of treatment solution.
• the second portion of the treatment solution is less than all of the remaining treatment solution in the reservoir 106.
• no additional neutralizer is added after the first phase.
• the treatment solution in the reservoir 106 can be neutralized in at least three phases.
• a first portion of the tertiary solution can be removed from the basin 104 via the drain line 110.
• a second portion of the tertiary solution can remain in the basin 104 after the removal of the first portion of the tertiary solution.
• the second portion of the tertiary solution contains an amount of active neutralizer suitable to neutralize the remaining treatment solution in the reservoir.
• a third portion of the treatment solution can be added to the basin 104 from the reservoir 106 and can be added to the second portion of the tertiary solution in the basin 104.
• the active neutralizer remaining in the second portion of the tertiary solution can be contacted with the third portion of the treatment solution in the basin 104 to form a quaternary solution and the third portion of the treatment solution can be neutralized by the neutralizer.
• the contacting may include at least one of heating, circulating, and agitating.
• the amount of the quaternary solution can be equal to or less than the basin solution capacity.
• the quaternary solution can comprise formed adduct.
• the quaternary solution can comprise at least one of neutralizer, treatment solution, and water.
• the quaternary solution is substantially free of treatment solution. In certain examples, no additional neutralizer is added during the third phase.
• Additional phases of neutralization may be added as needed to neutralize the treatment solution in the reservoir 106 such that the treatment solution can be more suitable for handling and/or disposal.
• the secondary, tertiary, and/or quaternary solutions, and/or additional solutions of the neutralization process that are removed from the basin can have an LCso greater than 500 mg/L such as, for example, greater than 600 mg/L, greater than 700 mg/L, greater than 800 mg/L, greater than 1000 mg/L, or greater than 2000 mg/L.
• the secondary, tertiary, and/or quaternary solutions, and/or additional solutions of the neutralization process that are removed from the basin contain less than 0.1 % by weight of the secondary solution of active treatment solution (e.g ., treatment solution containing an un-neutralized active group) such as, for example, less than 0.01 % by weight of the secondary solution, and, in certain examples, substantially 0 % by weight of the secondary solution.
• active treatment solution e.g ., treatment solution containing an un-neutralized active group
• the secondary, tertiary, and/or quaternary solutions, and/or additional solutions can be removed from the basin 104 via the drain line 110 and can be disposed of. At least one of the reservoir 106 and the basin 104 can be rinsed with an aqueous solution after removing the tertiary solution. In various examples, the reservoir 106 and the basin 104 can each be rinsed with an aqueous solution multiple times, and in some exmples is rinsed at least two times, in other examples at least three times, and in other examples three times.
• the aqueous solution can comprise water.
• the first phase and second phase of processing can have a duration of 1 minute to 20 minutes such as, for example, 2 minutes to 10 minutes, and in other examples 2 to 5 minutes.
• the rinse stage can have a duration of 1 minute to 30 minutes, such as, for example, 1 minute to 20 minutes or 1 to 10 minutes.
• the duration to neutralize the treatment solution in the reservoir 106 can be from 6 minutes to 1 hour such as, for example, 12 minutes to 30 minutes or 20 minutes to 25 minutes.
• Equation 1 The amount of neutralizer that can be added in the first phase can be represented by Equation 1.
• RatioM is the desired mole ratio of active group of neutralizer to active group of treatment solution
• TS is the amount of treatment solution in the reservoir
• SSR is the percent of secondary solution to be removed
• FIGs. 3A-H are schematic front views of a system 100 for in-basin neutralization in various stages of neutralization according to the present disclosure.
• FIG. 3 A illustrates the system 100 in a first stage of neutralization.
• the system 100 includes the chamber 102 which comprises the basin 104 in fluid communication with the reservoir 106 via treatment line 108 and a disposal system 312 via drain line 110.
• the reservoir 106 can be filled with treatment solution 314.
• FIG. 3B illustrates a second stage of neutralization where a neutralizer 316 has been added to the basin 104 in excess of an amount of neutralizer 316 suitable to neutralize the treatment solution 314 in the reservoir 106.
• a first portion of treatment solution 314 can be added to the basin 104 and the first portion of the treatment solution 314 can be contacted with the neutralizer 316 to form a secondary solution 318 as illustrated in a third stage of
• FIG. 3C illustrates a fourth stage of neutralization where a first portion of the secondary solution 318 is removed from the basin 104 via the drain line 110 and provided to the disposal system 312 as a waste 320. A second portion 318a of the secondary solution 318 remains in the basin 104. The second portion 318a of the secondary solution 318 comprises an amount of neutralizer 316 suitable to neutralize the remaining treatment solution 3 l4a in the reservoir 106.
• FIGs. 3B-D can be a first phase of neutralization.
• FIG. 3E illustrates a fifth stage of neutralization where a second portion of the treatment solution 314 can be added to the basin 104 and the second portion of the treatment solution 314 can be contacted with the second portion 318a of the secondary solution 318 to form a tertiary solution 322.
• the neutralizer 316 in the secondary solution 318 can react with the second portion of the treatment solution 314 to form an adduct between the second portion of the treatment solution 314 and the neutralizer 316 in the secondary solution 318.
• the second portion of the treatment solution 314 can comprise the remaining treatment solution 3 l4a in the reservoir 106.
• the second portion of the treatment solution 314 can be less than the remaining treatment solution 314a in the reservoir 106.
• the fourth stage in FIG. 3D and the fifth stage in FIG. 3E may be repeated as needed to neutralize the remaining treatment solution in the reservoir 106.
• FIG. 3E can be a second phase of neutralization.
• FIG. 3G illustrates a seventh stage where the basin 104 can be filled with an aqueous solution 324a to rinse the basin 104 and remove residual neutralizer 316, treatment solution 314, secondary solution 318, tertiary solution 322, and/or additional solutions of the neutralization process that are removed from the basin 104.
• the reservoir 106 can be filled with an aqueous solution 324b.
• the aqueous solution 324a, 324b can be removed from the system 100 via drain line 110 and can be provided to the disposal system 312 as waste 320 as illustrated in an eighth stage in FIG. 3H.
• the seventh stage in FIG. 3G and the eighth stage in FIG. 3H can be repeated as needed to remove residual treatment solution 314 from the reservoir 106 and/or residual neutralizer 316, treatment solution 314, secondary solution 318, tertiary solution 322, and/or additional solutions of the neutralization process that are removed from the basin 104.
• in-basin neutralization can limit cross-contamination in the reservoir since neutralizer may not have to be added to the reservoir. If neutralizer was added directly to the reservoir, residual neutralizer may be left after the neutralization process, which can degrade a subsequent treatment solution added to the reservoir. The degraded treatment solution may not be as effective or properly clean, disinfect, and/or sanitize in a treatment process.
• the method and system according to the present disclosure can neutralize the treatment solution in the reservoir with only a single addition of neutralizer to the basin.
• the single addition of neutralizer can improve the conditions of the solution for operator exposure and/or decrease the time spent neutralizing treatment solution.
• a 12 L capacity reservoir was prepared in fluid communication with a 9 L basin of an endoscope re-processor.
• the reservoir was filled with 12 L of AERO-OPATM available from Advanced Sterilization Products, a Division of Ethicon, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, located in Irvine, CA (0.55% OPA by weight).
• the 12 L of AERO-OPATM in the reservoir was neutralized in two phases. The duration of each phase was 5 minutes and the total neutralization time was 10 minutes.
• the basin was filled with 2 L of KemSafeTM Solution Neutralizer Catalog # 9074 available from Kem Medical Products Corp., located in Farmingdale, NY (6% glycine by weight). 7 L of the AERO-OPATM was provided to the basin from the reservoir.
• the 7 L of AERO-OPATM was contacted with the 2 L of neutralizer to form a secondary solution. 5 L of the secondary solution was removed from the basin and 4 L of the secondary solution remained in the basin.
• the remaining 5 L of AERO-OPATM was provided to the basin from the reservoir and contacted with the 4 L of secondary solution remaining in the basin to form a tertiary solution.
• the tertiary solution was removed from the basin and the basin was rinsed with 9L of water.
• the secondary and tertiary solution were combined and tested to determine the LCso of the combined solution.
• the test was performed according to the“Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (l6th Edition),” American Public Health Association, 1985 and“Static Acute Bioassay Procedures for Hazardous Waste Samples,” California Department of Fish and Game, Water Pollution Control Laboratory, revised November 1988” with fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas).
• the concentrations of the combined solution used in the LCso testing were 250 mg/L, 500 mg/L, and 750 mg/L.
• a method for in-basin neutralization in a chamber comprising a basin in fluid
• the method of any one of clauses 1-4 further comprising removing a portion of the tertiary solution and adding a third portion of the treatment solution to the basin to form a quaternary solution.
• the method of any one of clauses 1-5 wherein the second portion of the secondary solution comprises an amount of neutralizer suitable to neutralize the second portion of the treatment solution.
• neutralizing comprises forming an adduct between the treatment solution and the neutralizer.
• the neutralizer comprises at least one of an amino acid, ammonia, sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite, and sodium bisulfite.
• the treatment solution comprises at least one disinfectant selected from the group of an alcohol, an aldehyde, a quaternary ammonium compound, an oxidizer, and an antimicrobial metal solution.
• the treatment solution comprises ortho- phthalaldehyde and the neutralizer comprises glycine.
• a method for in-basin neutralization in a chamber comprising a basin in fluid communication with a reservoir, the basin has a first solution capacity and the reservoir has a second solution capacity larger than the first solution capacity, the method comprising:
• the second portion of the secondary solution comprises an amount of neutralizer suitable to neutralize a second portion of the disinfectant solution
• a system for in-basin neutralization comprising:
• a reservoir comprising a disinfectant solution
• the basin in fluid communication with the reservoir, the basin suitable to receive disinfectant solution from the reservoir, the basin has a first solution capacity and the reservoir has a second solution capacity larger than the first solution capacity;
• a neutralizing solution in the basin suitable to neutralize the disinfectant solution in the reservoir, wherein a mole ratio of active group in the neutralizer to active group in the disinfectant solution is greater than 1.3: 1.
• disinfectant solution is greater than 1.5: 1.
• the neutralizer comprises at least one of an amino acid, ammonia, sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite, and sodium bisulfite.
• the disinfectant solution comprises at least one of an alcohol, an aldehyde, a quaternary ammonium compound, an oxidizer, and an antimicrobial metal solution.

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